News Briefs August 29, 2013

Thursday

Aug 29, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 29, 2013 at 11:25 AM

Girl Scout membership rally Friday

On Friday, Aug. 30 from 5 to 7 p.m., there will be a Girl Scout membership rally at the St. George Island Methodist Church, 201 East Gulf Beach Drive. Open to girls grads K through 12. For more information, contact Clarissa Medina at cmedina@gscfp.org or (850) 386-2131.

Community Fun Day this Saturday

There will be a celebration of community with music, games and a yard sale from 3 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Sixth Street Recreation Center. This could be a great opportunity to fundraise. Food vendors welcome. For more information, contact Myrtis Wynn at (850) 774-8844 or wynnm45@gmail.com.

Saturday jam to benefit affordable housing

Big Daddy & Red Hot Java will present a special evening of world beat blues, soul and jazz to benefit Franklin County affordable housing at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Tamara’s Café, in Apalachicola.

There will be a requested $10 donation at the door. The benefit will raise funds for the not-for-profit Franklin County Community Development and Land Trust Corporation.

The Carrabelle Lions Club and Franklin County junior varsity cheerleaders will hold on fundraiser on Labor Day Weekend.

The fundraiser will be held Saturday, Aug. 31 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in Eastpoint, in front of Martin’s House of Coins, which is on the corner of South Bayshore and Highway 98, and next door to the produce market.

We will be serving hot dogs, potato chips, and a soda for a donation. All proceeds will be shared equally between the Lions Club and the cheerleaders.

For more information, call 728-6487.

Panhandle Players fall auditions next week

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 3 and 4, the Panhandle Players will audition performers for their upcoming production of “Any Number Can Die” by Fred Carmichael. The comic mystery, set in the 1920s, has a cast of seven men and five women ages 20 to 70. Auditions are at 7 p.m. in the Eastpoint Firehouse, 24 6th Street.

For more information, contact director, Megan Lamb at 927-4412.

Transportation board to meet Sept. 11

The Apalachee Regional Planning Council will hold a public meeting and quarterly meeting to which all persons are invited. The Franklin County Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. at the Franklin County Courthouse Annex Courtroom, 33 Market Street, Apalachicola. The public hearing will be held prior to the business meeting. In addition to its regular business, the agenda will include reorganizational functions of the board, a review of the expenditure report, a review of the annual operating report, the adoption of the bylaws and the adoption of the grievance procedures.

If any person decides to appeal any decision made by the board with respect to any matter considered at this meeting, they will need to ensure a verbatim record of the proceeding is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence from which the appeal is to be issued.

For additional information, a copy of the agenda, or if you require special accommodations at the meeting because of a disability or physical impairment, contact Vanita Anderson at the Apalachee Regional Planning Council, 20776 Central Avenue East, Suite 1, Blountstown, FL 32424 at least five working days prior to the meeting date.

Veterans host annual reunion Sept. 14

The Franklin County Veterans will have their 22nd annual reunion Saturday, Sept 14 at the Armory in Apalachicola.

They will start around 7 a.m. A grilled chicken dinner, with sides, will be served at noon. Ladies, please bring a dessert if you can.

“This reunion is for all the Franklin County veterans, of all wars or campaigns,” said organizers Charles Wilson and John Sack. “We invite all of our veterans to come join us for good food and fellowship, and veterans, bring your families. We have hats for all veterans who are present.”

An invitation is extended to anyone interested in sponsoring the veterans dinner. All donations are welcome

For more information, call Wilson at 653-6482 or John Sack at 670-8375 or email to sack@fairpoint.net

Small business expo Sept. 16-17

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Want to expand, change focus or need to resolve old issues that are holding you back? Join us for the Small Business Resource Expo on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 16-17.

Presented by the Small Business Development Center at FAMU, and the Apalachicola Bay and Carrabelle Area chambers of commerce, Small Business Development Center Gulf Coast State College Veteran’s Outreach Center, the expo is toi help small business owners discover resources to expand or refocus their business, bring business owners together to meet and share issues and ideas, and aid potential small business owners in getting started.

Technical assistance is available in the areas of social media, business planning, disaster planning, and one-to-one business counseling.

Hours are Sept. 16 from noon to 5 p.m. and Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Environmental Education and Training Center in Eastpoint.

On Sept. 16, the discussion classes offered include from 12:30 -1:30 p.m. “Ideas for Being Self Employed,” led by Christine Urban; from 1:30- 2:30 p.m. “Business Disaster Planning,” and from 3-5 p.m. “ Facebook for Business,” with attendees asked to bring their laptops.

One-on-one appointments are from 12:30-5 p.m. There will also be a representative from the Small Business Development Center Veteran’s Outreach Center, and tours available of the MAC, a self-contained RV decked out with the latest technology to help get a business running after a disaster.

From 6 8 p.m., a meet and greet with other local business area owners and entrepreneurs will be held at the Gibson Inn

On Sept. 17, Small Business Development experts Christine and Keith will be available to come to a business on location for one-on-one appointments. To schedule one-to-one sessions on Monday or Tuesday, call the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce 653-9419 or the Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce 697-2585.

Meals on Wheels welcomes new clients

The Meals on Wheels program is available for Apalachicola and Eastpoint for eligible clients age 60 and over. If you are homebound and live alone, or with others who need help with preparation of meals, you may be eligible for home-delivered meals through the Older Americans Act Program provided by Senior Services of Apalachicola.

For additional information please contact Debbie Sumner at Gulf County Senior Citizens in Port St. Joe at 229-8466.

Upgrades sought for three county parks

At the Aug. 6 county commission meeting, County Planner Alan Pierce said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has announced that the window for Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grant applications will be from Sept. 16-30.

FRDAP is a legislatively funded statewide grant program for increasing recreational opportunities. Most of the county baseball fields have been built with FRDAP.

Pierce said the county can apply for three grants this year. He recommended seeking funds in the smaller category, which ranges from $30,000 to $50,000.

At the August 20 meeting, after discussing a number of projects, the board voted unanimously to seek funding for additional lights playground equipment and construction of a soccer field and basketball court at D.W. Wilson Field in Apalachicola; lighting for the walking trail at Will Kendrick Park in Carrabelle and equipment to create a playground in the newly purchased property behind the Petro convenience Store in Eastpoint.

Coach Wagoner gets a boulevard

On Monday, August 26, Apalachicola announced it will rename the section of 14th Street that runs from Avenue E to Avenue L, Coach Wagoner Boulevard in honor of Apalachicola High School’s legendary sports icon.

The official street name change, approved unanimously Aug. 6 on a motion by Apalachicola Commissioner Jimmy Elliott, will be effective in mid-September.

“A lot of us old players traveled that road,” said Elliott. “He coached everybody out there except Commissioner (Brenda) Ash.”

For further information, contact City Administrator Betty Webb at 653-9319 or Chief of Police Bobby Varnes, at 653-9755.

New county flood maps

At the Aug. 20 county commission meeting, County Planner Alan Pierce told the board that the county has been officially notified by FEMA that new county flood maps will be effective Feb. 5, 2014.

Additional state funds for Bluff Road

On August 20, the county commission voted unanimously to accept an additional $529,689 of construction funds from the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) for the widening and resurfacing of Bluff Road.

The county originally received a grant from DOT for $1.82 million for this project. Bids were opened at the last meeting and the lowest bid was for $2.22 million. DOT is awarded additional funds so that the project could be developed as designed, said County Planner Alan Pierce. The total amount available for construction is now $2.35 million.

At the same meeting, the board awarded the contract for construction, engineering, and inspection services for the Bluff Road project to Preble-Rish Consulting Engineers of Port St. Joe.

Funding secured for Lanark project

The county commission voted unanimously to sign Joint Participation Agreement (JPA) with the Florida Department of Transportation for the widening and resurfacing of Oak Street in Lanark Village at their Aug/ 20 meeting.

A second JPA was accepted for widening and resurfacing of the Bayshore Drive/Twin Lakes loop in Eastpoint. County Planner Alan Pierce told the board construction on the two projects will begin in 2014 or 2015.

GUIC awarded boat ramp repairs

County commissioners voted Aug. 20 to award Gulf Coast Utility Contractors the contract to repair the revetment and road leading to the St. George Island boat ramp damaged last year during Tropical Storm Debby.

Gulf Coast offered the low bid for the work, $434,511. FEMA reimbursed the county for the cost of the project. The deadline for completing this work is Jan. 2, 2014.

Commissioner Pinki Jackel asked that the deadline for the project be moved up to Nov. 30, 2013. “I don’t want to get in a mess like the pier project,” she said.

FSU offers accelerated nursing degree program

Florida State University’s College of Nursing is offering an accelerated bachelor’s of science in nursing degree program for students who have earned undergraduate and advanced degrees in other disciplines to address a looming national nursing shortage.

The College of Nursing’s accelerated program offers the most expedient path to licensure as a registered nurse for those who completed degrees in other disciplines, leading to an earned bachelor’s degree in nursing in as soon as twelve months. The accelerated baccalaureate program builds on previous learning experiences to accomplish program objectives within a short period. Students receive the same number of clinical hours as their counterparts in the traditional entry-level nursing programs.

The accelerated program at Florida State, established in 2009, has received support from outside organizations, including Capital Health Plan. Approximately 70 percent of graduates of the Florida State accelerated nursing program obtain employment locally and remain in the Tallahassee area.

“The U.S. Department of Labor projects the nation will need more than a million new and replacement registered nurses by 2020,” said Dianne Speake, interim dean and professor in the College of Nursing. “The challenge is to produce competent nurses in an expedited manner while maintaining the integrity and quality of the nursing education provided, which our accelerated program most certainly accomplishes.”

Among the admission requirements for Florida State College of Nursing accelerated nursing degree programs are a completed baccalaureate level degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university. Maintenance of at least a 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) cumulative GPA on all college work. Satisfying the Florida State University admission requirements for students seeking a second degree.

“Graduates of the FSU accelerated nursing program bring maturity, past learning and life experiences to the job,” said Barbara Alford, vice president and chief nursing officer, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. “Their transition to nursing seems to be easier.”

The College of Nursing offers four-year nursing degree programs, as well as graduate nursing programs. The nursing program also accepts upper-division transfer students with earned associate of arts degrees from two-year institutions, such as community colleges.

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